Nexus had proposed Tube-style seating, saying it would give passengers more standing space at peak times, prevent people putting their feet up on the seats and make the trains more accessible for elderly and disabled customers.

And on Thursday the NECA committee officially backed the plans after voting down a proposal from the Wearside authority for a “hybrid” seating layout instead.

Coun Henry Trueman, representing Sunderland council, said: “People have been saying things like: ‘we like looking out of the window, we would feel uncomfortable sitting opposite people, children would be climbing on the seating to look out of the window’.

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“Changing the recommendation to a hybrid layout that maximises the availability of seating would at least say to the manufacturers that they could come up with another design.”

But Tobyn Hughes, managing director of Nexus, said the current Metros did have a hybrid seating layout, which led to “a number of issues for passengers”.

He said: “The longitudinal seating would provide additional capacity for people to stand during rush hour. That’s not to say people like standing, but at the minute there are people during busy periods who are unable to board the first one or two trains that come past, because there isn’t space for them to stand.

“The current design encourages people to bunch around the doors rather than flow through the carriage.

“People also feel there is insufficient space for luggage, buggies and wheelchairs.”

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Mr Hughes said that until the designs from manufacturers are submitted it is impossible to say whether the number of seats will decrease or stay the same.

He added: “Another bugbear for passengers with the current layout is that seats are wasted when people sit in the aisle seats instead of the window.

“There is also a problem with people putting their feet on the seats opposite, which not only wastes a seat but creates an issue of cleanliness for the next person sitting there and gives an impression of antisocial behaviour.”

Nexus says it has consulted with passengers and transport experts on three separate occasions and have found a clear consensus for Tube-style linear seating on the new trains.